Opeongo - our OO small body acoustic

Name: Opeongo - our OO small body acoustic
Brand: MacKenzie and Marr Guitars
SKU: Opeongo
Price: 949.99 CAD
Availability: In Stock

A full sound in a small guitar doesn't cost thousands anymore

Availability:
In Stock

Our artisan-crafted small-bodied OO style all solid wood parlor acoustic guitar. With 12 frets to the body and a 1 3/4 inch wide neck, Opeongo harkens back to the golden age of the steel string guitar.

Crafted from solid AAA-grade Sitka Spruce and solid Mahogany. A small guitar with a big sound.

Back and sides of responsibly harvested solid African Mahogany (Kaya Ivorensis)
Topwood is solid AAA-grade Canadian Sitka Spruce
A hand-set dovetail joint ensures full projective voicing

Suggested Retail Price:

CAD $2,399.99

Your Price:

Price:	CAD $949.99

Building a small body guitar is easy. Building one worth listening to? Not so easy. And one that is a joy to play? Even tougher.

It took us two years of experimentation and samples before we finally created a 00 size solid wood acoustic we could call an authentic MacKenzie & Marr guitar. Calling upon two highly respected luthiers, we started by re-engineering the bracing. Highly sculpted X bracing supports the top without restricting the "acoustic trampoline" of the quarter sawn Sitka Spruce. The back and sides are solid African Mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis), which suits the geometry of a small body guitar perfectly. By engineering the neck of Opeongo to transmit acoustic vibrations along its length, telegraphing them to the slotted headstock, we've expanded the resonating chamber beyond the physical confines of the body.

The overtones and sustain created by the play of space and materials belie the small body size. Hearing the true"wood" voice of Opeongo and experiencing the projection of that voice for the first time throws everyone off. Playing Opeongo is even more of a joy. Twelve frets to the body (most guitars including our other models have 14 frets clear of the body) mean less stretching and more comfortable fingering. Even barre chords become pleasurable to play (pleasurable, in this case, being highly subjective because who among us enjoys barre chords?). The 1 3/4 inch fretboard width at the nut encourages accurate fingerpicking.

As with all MacKenzie & Marr Guitars, Opeongo comes with a limited lifetime warranty against any manufacturing and/or material defects. Play this guitar in the comfort of your own home for a week. If you don't fall in love with it, we'll take it back and issue a full refund, including shipping costs.

A hard shell case is included at no additional cost with every Opeongo guitar.

Owner Reviews

Greer from El Paso

Wed, 07/08/2020 - 12:02

My Opeongo OO size guitar arrived rapidly and in perfect condition. It’s wonderful to play, craftsmanship of construction is great, and setup was exactly as discussed. Communication with M&M about some questions has also been terrific. The whole purchase experience couldn’t have been better. Thanks.

Andrew from Alameda

Mon, 05/18/2020 - 20:48

Quick review of my Opeongo: Detailed, high-bar construction and materials. Lovely, balanced tones from the surprisingly rich low-end in a parlor instrument, to clear, present mids and highs. Despite the evident attention to visuals, the builders were obviously fiercely listening as they built this instrument. I know, over the top wordy, but these guys deserve some serious praise. Don't you dare tell them, but they could have doubled the price of this guitar and still found an enthusiastic public. Big kudos.

Larry from Empire, MI

Wed, 04/29/2020 - 08:12

The Opeongo was exactly what I was looking for in a parlor guitar. Dimensions of the smaller body with 12 frets to the body, combined with a C neck profile, shorter scale length, wider nut width and perfect action to make a pleasurable and comfortable playing experience. Couple this with balance and clarity across the tonal range from treble to mid to bass notes, good projection and nearly non-ending sustain and you have amazing sound from a very versatile instrument. It is well suited for my finger style playing on the couch. I find it also suitable to strum or flat pick a few tunes when I want. There is excellent intonation up the neck. The slotted head stock and simply appointed solid spruce top with solid mahogany back and sides has a very smooth open pore finish which is attractive and lends to a very natural, vintage look and nicely shows the wood grain. I believe the finish will allow the guitar to mature and open up very nicely. And it could be a great heirloom to pass on. I could find no flaws in the fit and finish on this guitar from headstock to fretboard and neck to body and saddle. All the boxes of my criteria were checked off with excellent marks: looks, sound, playability, fit & finish, and value for price. A very nice hardshell case is included. I did some research to find an all solid wood parlor style guitar and could not find any company that came close in price. There is no buyers remorse here. I confidently placed my order. This is truly a real value. I am very appreciative that I learned about MacKenzie & Marr guitars. They live up to their guiding principles. Again, my own research led me to believe this. Everything they say on their web site is true. I like honesty and integrity throughout the entire process from customer service response to delivery of product. I admire that they have chosen to sell their guitars only online, which as they say is “slightly inconvenient.”. To overcome this, they will let you try any of their guitars for a week. If you don’t like it, they will give a full refund including shipping cost. This might alleviate some hesitance to buy without playing. It is confidence on their part. This is a very difficult way to do business in a very competitive market. The product direct to customer savings is real and a much simpler process. There was one other guitar maker I found in the United States that made a similar try it or return it for a full refund including shipping. My research revealed some inaccurate claims and much higher prices. Conclusion is I am pleased and happy with my choice. It does more than hold its own against guitars that cost two to three times more made by a company in Pennsylvania. I know because I own several. Cécile Doo-Kingué is playing an Opeongo in a video on the M & M website. She also has videos on YouTube.

Joseph from Poplar, WI

Tue, 04/14/2020 - 00:00

Thanks to Mackenzie and Marr, for this Opeongo guitar. When I opened the case it asked to be picked up like a baby, ha. And thanks for safely servicing the order in these unusual days of isolation. I think Opeongo and I will become great friends as we become acquainted. She is a beauty and I love the simple design, and smooth open pore look and homey feel with character and soul in tone to boot. I must say that you have built a winner and I feel fortunate to have found such an instrument at this price point. Keep sharing fine craftsmanship and art and the gift you have in building fine instruments, with service and info you readily offer in quick response. Thanks you guys.

Mark from Phoenixville, PA

Mon, 04/13/2020 - 00:00

I'm not in the habit of leaving reviews - but I'm going to make an exception for the M&M Opeongo. This guitar sings the moment you open the case. It's got a rich low end harmonic, an engaging mid-range and a ringing, non-pitchy high-end. It's light, but its voice carries well. The design and construction are superlative--but it isn't a piece of art masquerading as a guitar. Now - it took a couple of hours to get used to the neck width at the nut, I'd have liked a slightly darker tone on the top and the strap button at the base of the neck seems unnecessary - but these are inconsequential things. Just take it from me - the Opeongo is the real deal.

David from New York, NY

Fri, 01/03/2020 - 00:00

I have been playing the Opeongo for about a month. I bought it to keep at my office so I could play during the day. At home, I have a number of more well-known guitars including some with comparable smaller bodies. From the start, I have been impressed by the resonance of its sound, by its feel and excellent playability, and by the quality of workmanship. The guitar is still new and still opening up, but it already holds its own among more expensive guitars in terms of both sound and playability. The simplicity of the design and the high quality of the workmanship are admirable as well. It arrived well set-up and has held its tuning. The Opeongo has a distinct and pleasing tone character, more resonant in the highs and lows than in the middle tones. I imagine the bigger M-M bodies have both fuller base and middle tones, but the Opeongo has good balance and the concentrated sound typical of smaller body guitars. Overall I am delighted with it.

Dave from Louisville

Wed, 12/11/2019 - 10:03

I have had my Opeongo now for a couple months now and could not be more satisfied. The build quality is excellent! It has great feel, setup was good, and the volume and tone is fantastic. I see that they are sold out now on the website now, but do yourself a favor and buy one when they are available again.

Sarah from Toronto

Tue, 05/19/2015 - 15:41

When I started taking guitar lessons 6 years ago, I didn't have the experience to explore the kind of acoustic guitar I really needed. My husband originally ordered a Tofino for an anniversary gift and due to some unforeseen deliveries problems, Mackenzie and Marr offered me an Ian Tyson Ltd. Edition with pickups. I thought this would be my one and only acoustic guitar for life. Fool Me! Anyone passionate about guitars knows that one guitar is never enough! So, one Ian Tyson, one Les Paul Studio, one Baby Taylor later, I found myself searching for the perfect acoustic guitar with comfort and ease of play, with a rich balanced sound. I had already been to several guitar stores and played a few high end acoustics and thought I would be spending in excess of 2 thousand to get the sound and comfort I needed. As luck would have it, the Opeongo was born! So, after talking to John on the phone and listened to the artists play this little beauty, I confidently placed my order. My wish list was realized. What a great guitar!!! The perfect materials and flawless workmanship used to create this small guitar delivers clear balanced acoustic tone weather you play quiet finger style or strum with passion! Everyone that plays guitar has their favourite and when I walk into my music room, my Opeongo is the first one I gravitate to. When you order your guitar from MacKenzie and Marr you will get a high quality guitar with beautiful sound at fraction of the price of a high end brand name guitar.

Iain Matthews Playing MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo

MacKenzie and Marr Opeongo - Harmonics and Overtones

The MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo in Open Tuning

Cécile Doo-Kingué plays the MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo

That Was Then

Back around the turn of the century (the 20th century that is), we'd sit down in the parlor after a hard day's work and pick out a few tunes. Those small body guitars were fun to play and sounded sweet. But time marched on - obviously to a different drummer - guitars grew in size to accommodate the need for "boomer" concert hall sound and our favourite OO size acoustics followed Gene Autry into the sunset. Building small guitars with a full, rich, resonant voice became a lost art. But............

This is Now

..........everything old becomes new again. The resurgence of small parlor style guitars is (pardon the oxymoron) huge. They're showing up everywhere, played by the cool dudes and dudettes. (You don't think Rodney Crowell is cool?). We first played a modern small body guitar made by a California company, whose name, looking north across Monterey Bay, shall remain nameless. It was love at first chord. But it wasn't cheap, and we quickly realized that OO guitars were either expensive and excellent or affordable and not very good at all. We took up the challenge of blending small with affordable and exceptional. It took three years, but we did it.

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